HK1159822A

HK1159822A - Building a location service reference database based on encountered rfid tags

Info

Publication number: HK1159822A
Application number: HK11113957.1A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 吉汉‧卡若古; 查尔斯‧亚伯拉罕; 马克‧布尔; 戴维‧加勒特; 大卫‧艾伯特‧伦德格伦; 大卫‧玛瑞
Original assignee: 美国博通公司
Priority date: 2010-02-12
Filing date: 2011-12-27
Publication date: 2012-08-03

Description

Constructing a location services reference database based on encountered RFID tags

Technical Field

The present invention relates to communications systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for constructing a location services reference database based on encountered RFID tags.

Background

The emergence of location services is a new value-added service provided as a mobile communication network. The location service is a mobile service in which various location applications, for example, enhanced 911(E-911), location 411, location message, and/or location friend finding service, are provided by using location information of a user.

The growing market for location services has resulted in a great demand for tracking systems with high accuracy. In addition to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), galileo, and/or assisted satellite navigation (a-GNSS), there are currently several Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking systems that provide tracking through RFID technology. RFID technology uses radio waves to transmit information stored on a semiconductor chip, together with a so-called "tag", through a tiny antenna to a device that can read the information for processing on a computer.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

A method and/or system for constructing a location services reference database based on encountered RFID tags, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication method, the method comprising:

performing, by one or more processors and/or circuits in an RFID-enabled mobile device, the following steps, the RFID-enabled mobile device comprising an RFID reader:

receiving, by the RFID reader, RFID information from an RFID tag attached to an object;

determining a location of the RFID-enabled mobile device;

associating the determined location of the RFID-enabled mobile device with the received RFID information;

the associated location RFID information is transmitted to a remote location server.

Preferably, said determining a location comprises determining a global satellite navigation system location of said RFID enabled mobile device.

Preferably, the method further comprises: using the determined GNSS location, locating RFID information received from the RFID tag.

Preferably, the remote location server may receive location RFID information for the object from a plurality of RFID enabled mobile devices.

Preferably, the determining the location comprises determining a location estimate of the RFID-enabled mobile device using location information from the RFID tag attached to the object.

Preferably, said associating comprises locating said received RFID information from said RFID tag.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication method including:

transmitting at least a portion of the RFID information to a remote server;

receiving location information from the remote server, the location information being based on at least a portion of the transmitted RFID information; and

determining location information of the object based on the location information from the remote server.

Preferably, the RFID information received from the RFID tag includes an RFID object Identification (ID) of the object.

Preferably, the method further comprises extracting the RFID target designation of the object from the received RFID information.

Preferably, said transmitting at least a portion of said RFID information comprises transmitting said extracted RFID target designation.

Preferably, the method further comprises determining the location of the RFID enabled mobile device based on the determined location information of the object.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system including:

one or more processors and/or circuits for use in an RFID-enabled mobile device having an RFID reader; the one or more processors and/or circuitry are to:

determining a location of the RFID-enabled mobile device;

Preferably, the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to: using the determined GNSS location, locating RFID information received from the RFID tag.

Preferably, the association comprises the location indication receiving RFID information from the RFID tag.

transmitting at least a portion of the RFID information to a remote server;

Preferably, the one or more processors and/or circuits are further operable to extract the RFID target designation of the object from the received RFID information.

Preferably, the one or more processors and/or circuits are further operable to determine a location of the RFID-enabled mobile device based on the determined location information of the object.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully described in the following description and drawings.

Drawings

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary RFID tracking system using information provided by encountered RFID tags to construct a reference database in a location server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary RFID-enabled mobile device for obtaining RFID information from encountered RFID tags to construct a reference database in a location server, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary location server for providing location RFID information, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for obtaining RFID information from encountered RFID tags to construct a reference database in a location server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for determining the location of an RFID-enabled mobile device based on location information of encountered RFID tags, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Detailed Description

A method and system for constructing a location services reference database based on encountered RFID tags will present specific embodiments of the invention. In various embodiments of the present invention, an RFID-enabled mobile device that is continuously sensing the distance to an RFID tag attached to an object may receive RFID information for the object via a communicatively coupled RFID reader. When the RFID-enabled mobile device is GNSS-enabled, a GNSS location of the RFID-enabled mobile device may be calculated or determined in response to receiving the RFID information from the RFID tag. For example, the determined GNSS location of the RFID-enabled mobile device may be associated with the received RFID information for the object by using the determined GNSS location of the RFID-enabled mobile device to locate the received RFID information. When the received RFID information for the object has location information for the object, the RFID-enabled mobile device may use the location information for the object to estimate its own location. The RFID information of the location indicator may be sent to a remote location server. The location server may obtain or receive location RFID information for objects from multiple users.

The RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may be used to transmit at least a portion of the received RFID information read from an RFID tag attached to an object. Instead, the RFID-enabled mobile device may receive location RFID information for the object from a remote location server. Location information for the object may be determined based on location RFID information received from the remote location server. When the RFID-enabled mobile device is not GNSS-enabled, the RFID-enabled mobile device may be operable to extract the RFID target ID of the object from the RFID information read from the RFID tag. The extracted RFID target ID may be transmitted to a remote location server as location RFID information. The RFID-enabled mobile device may determine or estimate its own location based on the determined location information of the object.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary RFID tracking system using information provided by encountered RFID tags to construct a reference database in a location server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. An RFID tracking system 100 is shown in fig. 1. The RFID tracking system 100 includes a plurality of objects 110, a plurality of RFID-enabled mobile devices 120, such as RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123, a mobile core network 130, a location server 140 communicatively connected to a reference database 142, a Satellite Reference Network (SRN)150, and a satellite infrastructure 160; as shown in FIG. 1, an object 110 includes objects 111-115.

The objects may include physical objects, spaces, and/or anything else embedded in and/or connected with RFID tags outdoors and/or indoors. The physical object may be a commodity, an animal or a human. The goods may include any item, such as a table, a book, a chair, a light, and/or a drawing. The information related to an object collected by an RFID tag connected to the object refers to RFID information of the object. The RFID information of an object includes an RFID object Identification (ID) and other information associated with the object. For example, when the object is a drawing, such as object 114, the corresponding RFID information may include an RFID object ID and other information such as who created the drawing, which year created, the model number of the drawing, the history of the drawing, and/or the target price. The RFID information of an object may be stored, for example, in an RFID tag 116 attached to the object.

The RFID tag 116 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to encode and store RFID information for an object in which the RFID tag 116 is located or connected. When the RFID tag 116 accesses the location information of the connected object, the RFID tag 116 may store the location information of the connected object as part of the RFID information of the connected object. RFID tag 116 may communicate information with an RFID reader within a sensing distance. For example, within the sensing distance of the RFID tag 116, the RFID tag 116 may receive an activation signal from an RFID reader 124 connected to the mobile device. Accordingly, the RFID tag 116 may be used to transmit or transmit stored RFID information that is received by the RFID reader 124. The transmitted RFID information may be propagated or transmitted to the location server 140 by the host of the RFID reader 124.

The RFID reader 124 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to transmit radio waves, i.e., an activation signal. The RFID reader 124 may be used to communicate information with an encountered RFID tag whenever the RFID reader 124 is within sensing distance of the encountered RFID tag. For example, the RFID reader 124 may be used to read RFID information from encountered RFID tags. The RFID reader 124 may be used to decode RFID information read from an encountered RFID tag. The decoded RFID information may be processed as desired for a particular application. The RFID reader 124 may transmit the processed RFID information to an associated host device, such as the RFID-enabled mobile device 121, for further processing.

The RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-122 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable transmission of radio frequency signals over the mobile core network 130 using various wireless access technologies, such as WLAN, Bluetooth, CDMA, UMTS and/or WiMAX. Each RFID-enabled mobile device, such as RFID-enabled mobile device 121, may include an RFID reader. The RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may obtain RFID information from encountered RFID tags via an embedded or connected RFID reader, such as RFID reader 124.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, when a particular RFID-enabled mobile device is GNSS-enabled, such as the RFID-enabled mobile device 121, the GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may be determined in response to the acquired RFID information. The RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may generate or generate location RFID information using the determined GNSS location from the RFID information obtained by the positioning indicia. The generated location RFID information may be transmitted to the location server 140 via the mobile core network 130 to construct and/or refine the reference database 142.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, when a particular RFID-enabled mobile device is not GNSS-enabled, such as the RFID-enabled mobile device 122, the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may be determined based on location information of one or more encountered objects. For example, the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may be detected by the RFID tag 116 when the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 moves within a sensing distance of the RFID tag, such as the RFID tag 116 attached to the object 115. In this regard, the RFID enabled mobile device 122 may read the RFID information of the object 115 from the RFID tag 116. The location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 is necessary in LBS applications, for example, the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may extract the RFID target ID of the object 115 from the RFID information provided by the RFID tag 116. The extracted RFID target ID may be transmitted to the location server 140 as location information of the object 115. The RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may receive location RFID information for the object 115 from the location server 140. The received location RFID information may include location information of the object 115 and other relevant information such as the name of the owner of the object 115. The received location information of the object 115 may be used to determine or estimate the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 122. When the RFID tag 116 includes location information for the object 115, the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may use the location information stored within the RFID tag 116 to support LBS applications whenever needed.

The mobile core network 130 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to connect various access networks, such as a CDMA network, a UMTS network and/or a WiMAX network, with an external data network, such as a packet data network. The mobile core network 130 may be used to transmit various data services provided by external data networks to associated users, such as the RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123. the mobile core network 130 may also be used to transmit location RFID information between the RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123 and the location server 140.

The location server 140 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable access to a Satellite Reference Network (SRN) such that GNSS satellite data may be collected via the SRN150 and tracking of GNSS constellations. The location server 140 may use the collected GNSS satellite data to generate GNSS assistance data, which may include, for example, ephemeris data, LTO data, reference location, and/or time information. Location server 140 may collect and/or retrieve location RFID information from a plurality of RFID-enabled mobile devices. The retrieved location RFID information may be indexed by RFID object ID and/or corresponding location and stored in the reference database 142. The stored location RFID information may be shared by multiple users. For example, upon receiving the RFID target ID of a particular object, such as object 114, from the RFID-enabled mobile device 122, the reference database 142 may transmit the location RFID information of the object 114 to the RFID-enabled mobile device 122. In addition to the details of the object 114, the location information of the object 114 in the received location RFID information may be used to determine the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 when desired.

The SRN150 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable continuous collection and/or distribution of data for GNSS satellites. The SRN150 may include a plurality of GNSS reference tracking stations located throughout the world to provide assisted GNSS (a-GNSS) in the home network and/or the visited network and covering all times.

The GNSS satellites 162-166 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to generate and broadcast satellite navigation information. The location server 140 may use the broadcast satellite navigation information collected by the SRN150 to support the LBS service. The GNSS satellites 162-166 may include GPS, Galileo, and/or GLONASS satellites.

In an exemplary embodiment, a particular RFID-enabled mobile device, such as RFID-enabled mobile device 121 and/or RFID-enabled mobile device 122, may move within a sensing distance of an RFID tag, such as RFID tag 116, attached to an object, such as object 114. An RFID reader, such as RFID reader 124, embedded in or attached to a particular RFID-enabled mobile device may read the RFID information of the object 114 from the RFID tag 116. The RFID information of the object 114 may include an RFID target ID and other detailed information of the object 114. For example, when the object 114 is a book, reading the RFID information from the RFID tag 116 may include information such as the title, author's name, keywords in the book, and/or publication date. The RFID information may be decoded by the RFID reader 124 and sent to the host of a particular RFID-enabled mobile device for further processing.

When a particular RFID-enabled mobile device is GNSS-enabled, such as the RFID-enabled mobile device 121, the GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may be calculated or determined in response to receiving the RFID information from the RFID tag 116. The RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may use the determined GNSS location to locate the corresponding decoded RFID information. The generated location RFID information is sent to the location server 140 via the mobile core network 130 in order to construct and/or refine the reference database 142.

When a particular RFID-enabled mobile device is not GNSS-enabled, such as the RFID-enabled mobile device 122, the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 is necessary for LBS applications. In this regard, the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may transmit the encountered object, such as the RFID target ID of the object 114, to the location server 140 to obtain location information for the object 114. Conversely, the reference database 142 may transmit the location RFID information of the object 114 to the RFID-enabled mobile device 122. The location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may be determined based on the location RFID information of the object 114 provided by the reference database 142. For example, the received location information of the object 114 may be used as a location estimate for the RFID-enabled mobile device 122.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary RFID-enabled mobile device for acquiring RFID information from encountered RFID tags to construct a reference database in a location server, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. An RFID-enabled mobile device 200 is shown in fig. 2. The RFID-enabled mobile device 200 may include a GNSS receiver 202, an RFID reader 210, a WiMAX transceiver 212, a local RFID database 214, a host processor 216, and a memory 218.

The GNSS receiver 202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to detect and receive GNSS signals from a plurality of visible GNSS satellites such as the GNSS satellites 162-166. The GNSS receiver 202 may be operable to use the received GNSS signals to calculate navigation information such as a GNSS position and/or a velocity of the GNSS receiver 202. The computed GNSS position of the GNSS receiver 202 may be transmitted to a host processor for various applications, such as to locate RFID information indicative of a reading from the RFID reader 204. Depending on the device capabilities, the GNSS receiver 202 is selectable for the RFID enabled mobile device 200.

The RFID reader 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may enable sending radio waves, i.e., an activation signal, to an encountered RFID tag. An RFID tag, such as RFID tag 116, attached to an object 111 may detect and respond to an RFID reader 204 when the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 moves within a sensing distance of the object, such as object 111. In this regard, the RFID reader 204 may receive RFID information from the object 111 of the RFID tag 116. The received RFID information may include the RFID target ID of the object 111 and other detailed information. For example, when the object 111 is a table, the received RFID information may include the make, model, color, sales price, material type, and/or size of the table. The RFID reader 204 may decode the received RFID information. The decoded RFID information may be sent to host processor 216 for further processing as needed for a particular application.

The WLAN transceiver 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable receiving and/or transmitting radio frequency signals using wireless LAN technology. WLAN transceiver 206 may communicate information, such as location RFID information of encountered objects, with location server 140.

The bluetooth transceiver 208 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable receiving and/or transmitting radio frequency signals using bluetooth technology. The bluetooth transceiver 204 may communicate information, such as location RFID information of encountered objects, with the location server 140.

The cellular transceiver 210 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to receive and/or transmit radio frequency signals using various cellular communication technologies such as CDMA, GSM, UMTS and/or LTE. The cellular transceiver 210 may communicate information, such as location RFID information of encountered objects, with the location server 140 via the mobile core network 130.

The WiMAX transceiver 212 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable the reception and/or transmission of radio frequency signals using WiMAX technology. The WiMAX transceiver 212 may communicate information, such as location RFID information of encountered objects, with the location server 140 through the mobile core network 130.

The local RFID database 214 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable management and storage of data including location RFID information for encountered objects. The local RFID database 214 may index RFID information using the associated RFID object ID and corresponding location. The contents of the local RFID database 214 may be sent to the host processor 216 for processing as required by a particular application.

The host processor 216 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable management and/or control of operation of associated device component units such as the GNSS receiver 202, the RFID reader 204, the cellular transceiver 210, and/or the WiMAX transceiver 212, depending on the respective usage. For example, the host processor 216 may activate or deactivate one or more associated radios, such as the GNSS receiver 202, as needed to conserve power consumption. Host processor 216 may coordinate operations between the relevant device component units for a particular application.

When the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 includes a GNSS receiver 202, in this regard, the host processor 216 may be operable to activate the GNSS receiver 202 whenever RFID information for an encountered RFID object is available via the RFID reader 204. The host processor 216 may compute the GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 using GNSS signals received via the GNSS receiver 202. Using the calculated GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200, it may be determined to tag RFID information from the RFID reader 204. Host processor 216 may store the location RFID information in local RFID database 214. The stored location RFID information may be provided to the location server 140 to improve or update the reference database 142 as needed or periodically.

When the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 does not include a GNSS receiver 202, the host processor may determine the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 based on location information of one or more objects encountered. In this regard, the host processor 216 may extract the RFID target ID from the RFID information read from the corresponding RFID tag attached to the encountered object. The extracted RFID target ID may be provided to the location server 140 as location information for the corresponding encountered object. The host processor 216 may receive location RFID information for encountered objects from the location server 140. The corresponding location of the encountered object may be indicated from the received location RFID information. The host processor 216 can use the identified location of the encountered object to determine the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200. When the RFID information read from the RFID tag connected to the encountered object includes location information of the encountered object, the host processor 216 may use the corresponding location information in the RFID information to determine the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device.

The memory 218 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable storage of information, such as executable instructions and data; the executable instructions and data may be used by the host processor 216 and/or other associated component units, such as the GNSS receiver and/or the RFID reader 204, the memory 218 may include RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage.

In an exemplary operation, the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 may be moved within a sensing distance of an RFID tag, such as RFID tag 116, that is attached to or integrated with a particular object, such as object 114. The RFID reader 204 may read the RFID information of the object 114 from the RFID tag 116. The RFID information from the RFID tag 116 may include the RFID target ID of the object 114 and other relevant information, such as the type and/or owner of the object 114. When the object 114 is a drawing, the RFID information from the RFID tag 116 may include, for example, the name of the painter, the year the drawing was made, the history of the drawing, and/or the purchase price. The RFID reader 204 may decode the RFID information. The decoded RFID information may be sent to host processor 216 for further processing as needed for a particular application.

When the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 is GNSS-enabled, the host processor 216 may calculate or determine a GNSS position of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 using GNSS signals received via the GNSS receiver 202. Host processor 216 may use the determined GNSS location to locate the beacon decoded RFID information. The generated location RFID information may be transmitted to the location server 140 to construct and/or refine the reference database 142.

When the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 is not GNSS-enabled, the host processor 216 may use the location information of the encountered object or objects to determine the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 when needed. In this regard, the RFID target ID of the encountered object may be extracted from the RFID information read from the corresponding RFID tag attached to the encountered object. The extracted RFID target ID may be provided to the location server 140 as location RFID information for the encountered object. The location information of the encountered object may be derived from the corresponding location RFID information from the location server 140. The host processor 216 may use the derived location information of the encountered object to determine the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200. For example, the resulting location of the encountered object may be used as a location estimate for the RFID-enabled mobile device 200. When the RFID information read from the RFID tag connected to the encountered object includes location information for the encountered object, the host processor 216 may estimate the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 using the location information in the RFID information.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary location server for providing location RFID information, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 illustrates a location server 300. The location server 300 may include a processor 302, a reference database 304, and a memory 306.

The processor 302 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable management and/or control of the operations of the reference database 304 and the memory 306. The processor 302 may communicate with a Satellite Reference Network (SRN)150 to collect GNSS satellite data via the SRN150 and track GNSS constellations. The processor 302 may use the collected GNSS satellite data to construct the reference database 304. The reference database 304 may be internal or external to the location server 300. The processor 302 may receive or collect location RFID information for various objects, such as the objects 115 from multiple users, such as the RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123. The collected location RFID information may be stored in the reference database 304. The processor 302 may share the location RFID information in the reference database 304 among multiple users.

The reference database 304 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable storage of location information, such as location RFID information. The location RFID information may be indexed using the RFID object markers and corresponding locations in the reference database 304. For a given RFID object marker, the reference database 304 may provide corresponding location RFID information, which may include the location of the corresponding object and other specific information related to the object, such as the title and/or author's name of the book. The reference database 304 may be refined or updated as needed or periodically.

The memory 306 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable storage of information such as executable instructions and data. The executable instructions and data may be used by processor 302 and/or other associated component units, such as reference database 304. Memory 306 may include RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage.

In an exemplary operation, the processor 302 may collect GNSS satellite data via the SRN150 to construct the reference database 304. Location information, such as location RFID information, may be collected or retrieved from a plurality of users, such as RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123. The retrieved location RFID information may include an associated RFID object ID and/or information associated with the corresponding RFID object. For example, when the RFID object is a book, the corresponding RFID information may include the title of the book, keywords in the book, and/or the retail price. The processor 302 may store the retrieved RFID information in the reference database 304. The stored location RFID information may be indexed using the associated RFID object ID and corresponding location. The stored location RFID information may be shared among multiple users on an as-needed basis, non-periodically, or periodically.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for obtaining RFID information from encountered RFID tags to construct a reference database in a location server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, exemplary steps begin at step 402. In step 402, an RFID tag, such as the RFID tag 116 attached to the object 111, may receive a transmission or activation signal from an RFID reader, such as the RFID reader 204 attached to the RFID enabled mobile device, such as the RFID enabled mobile device 200, when the RFID enabled mobile device 200 moves within a sensing distance of the RFID tag 116. In step 404, the RFID tag 116 may transmit the RFID information of the object 111 to the RFID reader 204. In step 406, RFID reader 204 may decode the RFID information received from RFID tag 116. The decoded RFID information may be sent to the host processor 216 for further processing.

In step 408, the host processor 216 may accordingly determine the GNSS position of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 using the GNSS signals received from the GNSS receiver 202. In step 410, the host processor 216 may locate the received RFID information using the GNSS location for determining the RFID-enabled mobile device 200. In step 412, the generated location RFID information may be transmitted to a remote location server, such as location server 300, to construct and/or refine reference database 304. In step 414, the location server 300 may obtain location RFID information for the object 111 from a plurality of users, such as RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123. The exemplary steps end at step 418.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for determining the location of an RFID-enabled mobile device based on location information of encountered RFID tags, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, exemplary steps begin at step 502. In step 502, an RFID tag, such as the RFID tag 116 connected to the object 112, may receive a transmission or activation signal from an RFID reader, such as the RFID reader 204 connected to the RFID enabled mobile device 200, when the RFID enabled mobile device 200 moves within the sensing range of the RFID tag 116. In step 504, the RFID tag 116 may transmit the RFID information of the object 112 to the RFID reader 204. In step 506, the RFID reader 204 may decode the RFID information received from the RFID tag 116. The decoded RFID information may be sent to host processor 216 for further processing. In step 507, it may be determined whether the location of the object 112 is indicated in the received RFID information. When the location of the object 112 is not indicated in the received RFID information, step 508 is entered. In step 508, the host processor 216 may extract the RFID target ID of the object 112 from the received RFID information. In step 510, the host processor 216 may transmit the extracted RFID target ID to a remote location server, such as location server 300.

In step 512, the location server 300 may communicate with the reference database 304 to obtain location RFID information based on the RFID target ID received from the RFID-enabled mobile device 200. In step 514, the location server 300 may transmit the acquired location RFID information to the RFID-enabled mobile device 200. In step 516, the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 may tag the location information of the object 112 from the location RFID information received from the location server 300. In step 518, the location of the RFID-enabled mobile device 200 may be estimated or determined based on the location information of the marked object 112. The exemplary step ends at step 520.

In step 507, when the location of the object 112 is indicated in the received RFID information, exemplary steps proceed to step 518.

In various exemplary aspects of the method and system for constructing a location services reference database based on encountered RFID tags, an RFID enabled mobile device that is continuously sensing the distance of an RFID tag, such as RFID tag 116, connected to an object 114 may receive RFID information of the object 114 via a communicatively connected RFID reader, such as RFID reader 124. When the RFID-enabled mobile device is GNSS-enabled, such as RFID-enabled mobile device 121, the GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may be calculated or determined in response to receipt of the RFID information from the RFID tag 116. For example, the determined GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may be associated with the received RFID information of the object 114 by using the determined GNSS portion of the RFID-enabled mobile device 121 to locate the position indicating the received RFID information. When having the location information of the object 114 in the received RFID information of the object 114, the RFID-enabled mobile device 121 may estimate its own location using the location information of the object 114. The RFID information indicated by the location indicator may be transmitted to a remote location server, such as location server 300. The location server 300 can obtain or receive location RFID information for objects 114 from a plurality of users, such as RFID-enabled mobile devices 121-123.

An RFID-enabled mobile device, such as RFID-enabled mobile device 122, that is constantly sensing, for example, the distance to an RFID tag, such as RFID tag 116, attached to object 114, may receive RFID information of object 114 via a communicatively coupled RFID reader, such as RFID reader 124. The RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may transmit at least a portion of the received RFID information to the location server 300. Instead, the RFID-enabled mobile device may receive location RFID information for the object 114 from the location server 300. The location information of the object 114 may be determined based on the location RFID information received from the location server 300. When the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 is not GNSS-enabled, the RFID-enabled mobile device 122 may be operable to extract an RFID target ID from the RFID information read from the RFID tag 116. The extracted RFID target ID may be transmitted to the location server 300 as location RFID information. The RFID-enabled mobile device may determine or estimate its own location based on the determined location information of the object 114.

Another embodiment of the present invention may provide a machine and/or computer readable storage and/or medium having stored thereon a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or computer to cause the machine and/or computer to perform the above-described steps for constructing a location service reference database based on encountered RFID tags.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be implemented by a computer program product, comprising all the features enabling the implementation of the methods of the invention, when loaded in a computer system. The computer program in this document refers to: any expression, in any programming language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to other languages, decoding or notation; b) reproduced in a different format.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

determining a location of the RFID-enabled mobile device;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location comprises determining a global satellite navigation system location of the RFID-enabled mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: using the determined GNSS location, locating RFID information received from the RFID tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the location comprises determining a location estimate for the RFID-enabled mobile device using location information from the RFID tag attached to the object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating comprises locating RFID information received by the tag from the RFID tag.

6. A method of communication, comprising:

transmitting at least a portion of the RFID information to a remote server;

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the RFID information received from the RFID tag comprises an RFID object Identification (ID) of the object.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a location of the RFID-enabled mobile device based on the determined location information of the object.

9. A communication system, comprising:

determining a location of the RFID-enabled mobile device;

10. A communication system, comprising:

transmitting at least a portion of the RFID information to a remote server;